If your business has its own office, then you need to think about storage space. The longer you work in an office, the more junk you’re going to accumulate. If you do not have anywhere to put it all, then you could end up with a messy and chaotic office, which is not a good look. Customers and employees won’t take you seriously if your office is a pigsty.
But how much storage do you need (and what kind of storage is best?) This post will answer these questions for you, so you can effectively and confidently arrange storage for your office.
Consider Items
If you’re trying to work out how much storage you are going to need, then obviously, the first thing that you need to do is to work out what needs to be put into storage. Not everything in your office needs to be stored, just the things that are getting in the way or that don’t fit in cupboards and filing cabinets. Most experts recommend putting all of the things that need to go into storage in a corner of your office, so you can determine how much storage you are going to need.
On-site Storage
If you are renting an office, then there might actually be on-site storage facilities. However, some rental companies require tenants to pay them more to use these facilities. It’s worth reaching out to the company that leased your office so that you can ask them whether or not there’s any on-site storage that you can use. If there is, then you should make use of it. Using on-site storage means your things are easy to access. If you are lucky, there might be on-site storage that you can use for free.
Using Lockers
An alternative to using on-site storage is to rent a locker. You can click here to learn more about the process of renting a storage locker. One of the main advantages of renting a storage locker is security. More often than not, these lockers are situated on large industrial complexes, which typically have around-the-clock security. Such facilities and complexes also have cameras, alarms, and sometimes even dog patrols. It can be expensive to rent a locker, but it’s worth doing if you have a lot of things that need to go into storage.
Buying Shelves
If your office is bare bones, then one way of getting rid of clutter is to buy a shelving unit. A metal shelving unit will give you somewhere to store files and boxes that are getting in the way. If you are on a budget or just want to save money, then consider buying shelves second-hand. There’s really no point in buying brand-new ones. If there are any vacant offices in your building, then you could consider asking the landlord to let you take shelving units out of them (if there are any shelving units in them, that is).
Secure Packing
When you are putting things into storage, you need to make sure that you pack them safely. Not packing things securely could lead to them getting damaged. If you are going to be storing precious and sensitive documents, then secure packaging will prevent them from being stolen. You also need to think about the place where you are going to be storing sensitive documents. Ideally, you should only ever store them somewhere that’s locked, secure, and that has CCTV. If sensitive documents fall into the wrong hands, you could get into a lot of legal trouble.
Uploading Documents
Instead of putting physical documents into storage, why not upload them to the cloud and then shred them? To be honest, physical documents are not the safest way of storing important information. Not only can they degrade over time, but they can also be stolen. If you upload documents to the cloud then you never have to worry about either of these things. The cloud is a very secure place to store things, especially if you activate two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication will stop any unauthorized parties from being able to access your data and information.
Cost Considerations
Before you rush out and buy storage, shelving units, or even a cloud subscription, think about costs. At the moment, things are very hard for businesses. Energy bills are through the roof. If you own an office, then this is probably something you already know. You should try to find the cheapest (but most secure) storage option that you can. It is very important to ensure you are getting the best storage for your money. You can still get secure storage while at the same time-saving money. Compile a list of all of the storage providers in your area, so you can find the one that’s best for you.
Taking Home
Sometimes, it’s cheaper and easier to take things home. If the items that you need to put into storage are not too big, then you could just store them in a spare bedroom or even in your garage. Do not make the mistake of storing them in your car, though. Cars are regularly targeted by thieves and broken into. If you store important documents or items inside your car, and it’s stolen, then you’ll lose them forever. Make sure that you always put things somewhere safe, even if you are going to be putting them in your house.
Eliminating Waste
When some people put things into storage, they store their junk too. Before you move things from your office into storage, sit down and work out what you actually need to bring, and what you don’t need to. Eliminate as much waste as you can. Putting unnecessary things into storage is just a waste of space (and money). If you want to throw things away that can still be used, like desk equipment for example, then give them to charity instead. Giving things that can still be used to charity will benefit somebody who cannot afford to buy brand-new equipment.
If you own an office (or if you rent one) then sooner or later you’ll need storage. You need to find the type of storage that’s right for you. You can use this post’s guidance to figure out what that is.
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